Category Archives: Adult

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Lucio Galletto and David Dale Bree Hutchins Murdoch Books ISBN 9781743367346 RRP $59.99 Age Adult non fiction Reviwer Megan Stuart This is a book to look at again and again – You can even cook from it too. The photographer (Bree Hutchins), David Dale (travel writer) and restaurateur Lucio Galletto have combined their knowledge and skills to create this lovely book. The book while examining the history and culture of food along the western Mediterranean actually shows “how societies that sometimes […]

Ronald D. Davis Penguin group ISBN 9780399535666 RRP $22.00 Date of publication February 2010 Reviewer Neville Sandon It’s not hard to be enthusiastic about RONALD DAVIS’ book. This book is worth reading from cover to cover and I would encourage all parents to purchase, read and mark up your copy. We are often told what kids can’t do with dyslexia without knowing what they can do. It is into the “can do” bucket this book falls. The book is informative […]

Ben Holden Simon & Schuster ISBN: 9781471153754 RRP: $35.00 Ebook ISBN: 989147153785 RRP $12.99 Published 1st October, 2016 Reviewed by Debbie Berger Why should children only get bedtime stories at the end of their day? This delightful bedside book provides an option for the adult who loved the ritual of a bedtime story when they were younger. There is a great selection in this anthology including poetry, fiction, non-fiction, short stories and extracts from longer tales. Authors ranging from William […]

Daniel Goleman Bloomsbury ISBN 9781408863497 RRP $35.00 Age 15+ Date of publication August 2015 Reviewer Megan Stuart This book reminds us of the importance of strengthening “our better natures” and therefore making a better a world. This is an ideal book to have sitting around to pick up randomly and reflect.

Lisa Genova Simon and Schuster Australia ISBN: 9781471142901 $29.99 Published April 2015 Reviewed by Debbie Berger Inside the O’Briens is a powerful story about the Huntington’s Disease, a debilitating and fatal neurogenetic disease. Joe O’Brien is a 44 year old Boston cop who has seen it all on the force, including the Boston Marathon bombing. When he hurts his knee and innocently visits his doctor he receives the devastating diagnosis of Huntington’s Disease. Joe now has the heartbreaking job of […]

Connie and Samuel Johnson Hachette Australia ISBN: 978 0 7336 3324 9 RRP: $32.99 Publication Date: 28th October, 2014 Keywords: Memoir, Australian, Adult Reviewed by Debbie Berger This warm and honest memoir tells the story of Connie and Samuel Johnson, siblings who are faced with the awful news that Connie has terminal cancer. Connie wants to make sure that she doesn’t die without trying to help others who could face the same fate as hers in the future. Samuel Johnson […]

Bruce Springsteen Frank Caruso Simon & Schuster Australia ISBN: 9781501 103858 12+ RRP: 22.99 Publication Date: 4th November, 2014 Reviewer – Debbie Berger Outlaw Pete is a picture book written by singer Bruce Springsteen. It is illustrated with great detail by Frank Caruso with drawings that support the story at each page turn. This adult book tells the story of the legend of Outlaw Pete, a cowboy who is trying to outrun his past sins. The story is based on […]

Bernie Hobbs National Library of Australia ISBN 9780642278647 RRP $19.99 Age YA – Adult Date of publication November 2014 Reviewer Megan Stuart Content and meaning aside this is a book of interesting and wonderful pictures and photographs. Read it and discover that the book addresses the phobias many people have about some of the weirdest things. It may be light hearted but it is strangely unsettling. Although we may not be able to laugh off particular phobias nevertheless some of […]

Anna Spiro Penguin Australia ISBN 9781921383946 RRP $49.99 Age Adult Home making, designing Publication date October 2014 Reviewer Megan Stuart Acclaimed Brisbane interior designer, Anna Spiro, has recently published her first book. For anyone who is interested in home design, decorating, or simply beautiful things, this book is a must. The pages are filled with stunning images of Spiro’s work in some of the most beautiful homes and properties around Australia. Not only does Anna share her own personal influences […]

Billy Idol Simon & Schuster Australia ISBN: 978 0857205599 RRP: $32.99 Date of Publication: October, 2014 Keywords: Autobiography, Adult, WARNING: OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE AND DRUG USE Reviewer: Debbie Berger Billy Idol tells it how it was in his hey-day as a rock and roll legend of the 1980s. ‘Dancing with Myself’ is an honest and raw account of Billy’s life during his rise to fame. He is likeable, outrageous and at times deep in his insights of growing up in London […]

Nelika McDonald Pan Macmillan ISBN: 9781742612423 RRP: $29.99 Age: Adult Key Words: Crime, Mystery Published : 1st August 2013 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Sarah Vale has disappeared. The locals don’t seem all that interested, even her mother. Then again with a mother like that what would you expect. Sarah’s mother is the town prostitute and investigating this story will dig up some of the towns darkest secrets. Tommy Johns doesn’t care about other people’s secrets, he cares about Sarah and he […]

Karen Tyrrell Me and Him: A Guide to Recovery is the second instalment from Karen Tyrrell regarding her journey through mental illness and back again. If you are unfamiliar with Karen’s first book please pop over to our review of Me and Her: A Memoir of Madness. It is in this book that the very important connection is made between recovery and support people. Karen reveals secrets her husband shared that changed everything she thought she knew about her recovery […]

JK Rowling Little Brown ISBN: 9781408704202 RRP: $39.99 Genre: General Fiction Key Words: Politics, Secrets Published: 27th October 2012 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Barry Fairbrother collapses and dies leaving a vacancy on the local council. This tragic event has far reaching effects that no-one could have guessed at as surprising people come out of the woodwork to try and take his place. There is more going on than a simply council election though with the town clearly divided into two sides over […]

The Lotus War book 1 Jay Kristoff Macmillan ISBN: 9780230762886 RRP: $29.95 Age: General Key Words : Steampunk, Fantasy, Japanese, Action, Mythic Creatures Published: 1st Sept 2012 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell The Shima Imperium is a land on the brink. The Lotus Guild worship machines and have given the country clockwork industrialization. The downside of this is that the skies are coloured like blood and mass extinctions of all kinds of wildlife. It is a land being choked by toxic pollution, […]

Darcy Dugan with Michael Tatlow Published by Harper Collins Australia Released 1st August 2012. ISBN: 9780732295523 RRP: $29.99 Reviewer: Vicki Griffin I think everyone in Australia knows the name ‘Darcy Dugan’ and now that all his enemies are gone Australia’s most notorious escape artist can finally tell his story. This book exposes high levels of political and police corruption in NSW in the late 1900’s. Dugan a career robber escaped from inescapable jails six times and the name Bloodhouse is the nickname […]

Brett & Hayley S. Kirk Random House Australia 9781742753256 RRP: $24.95 Publication Date: 1st August 2012 Reviewed by Cassandra Griffin Brave Heart is an inspiration glimpse into the life of Australian footballer Brett Kirk. With the help of his wife, Hayley S. Kirk, Brett has given access to the highs, lows and very lows of his life and his sporting career. Sharing details from losing his mentor, meeting the Dalai Lama, the support of his wife and family, leaving […]

Tomas Fleischmann AK.A publishing PTY.LTD. ISBN; 9780980453034 Reviewed by Cassandra Griffin. ‘Lolli’s Apple’ is an autobiography of Tomas, a 6 year old in a Nazi Concentration camp with his mother. Tomas tells his story as a matter of fact, account of how he survived the Holocaust and what came next. A sometimes confronting tale, sometimes entertaining it shows the innocence of a child in war time, and a fight for survival. This unheard account from survivor Tomas Fleischmann the reader […]

Karen Tyrrell ISBN: 9780987274007 RRP: $15.95 Genre/Key Words: Memoir, Mental Health, Bi-polar. Reviewer: Angela Hall Karen Tyrrell has shown an amazing strength through sharing her story about “the elephant of mental illness in the room”. This book will break down barriers of understanding for those whose lives are affected by mental illness by either having the scary diagnosis or the friend or family member who has. Karen’s story takes you back to the beginning when it all started to manifest. Her […]